Senior Kubernetes Engineer – RKE/RKE2, GKE, Python/Bash

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Kubernetes Engineer with strong hands-on expertise in managing, deploying, and supporting enterprise Kubernetes environments using Rancher Kubernetes Engine (RKE/RKE2) and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in Kubernetes administration, cluster lifecycle management, automation scripting, Linux administration, and troubleshooting production-grade containerized environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Deploy, configure, administer, and maintain enterprise Kubernetes clusters using RKE/RKE2 and GKE.

• Perform Kubernetes cluster provisioning, upgrades, patching, scaling, and maintenance.

• Monitor cluster health, performance, availability, and resource utilization.

• Develop and maintain automation scripts using Python, Bash, Shell, or PowerShell.

• Troubleshoot complex Kubernetes issues involving pods, deployments, services, ingress, networking, storage, and cluster resources.

• Implement Kubernetes security best practices, including RBAC, access controls, secrets management, and network policies.

• Support containerized applications and production deployments.

• Collaborate with DevOps, Cloud Infrastructure, Application Development, and Security teams.

• Maintain operational documentation, technical runbooks, and standard operating procedures.

• Participate in incident management, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Mandatory Technical Skills

• 8–10 years of overall IT Infrastructure, Cloud Engineering, DevOps, or Kubernetes experience.

• Strong hands-on experience with Rancher Kubernetes Engine (RKE/RKE2).

• Strong hands-on experience with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).

• 5–7 years of automation scripting experience using Python, Bash, Shell, or PowerShell.

• Strong understanding of Kubernetes architecture, cluster management, deployments, pods, services, ingress, and namespaces.

• Experience with Docker or containerd.

• Knowledge of Kubernetes networking, persistent storage, and resource management.

• Strong Linux administration and command-line troubleshooting skills.

• Familiarity with Git and infrastructure automation tools.

Preferred Skills

• Terraform, Ansible, Helm, and GitOps.

• CI/CD pipelines and DevOps methodologies.

• Cloud monitoring, logging, and alerting tools.

• Large-scale production Kubernetes environments.

• Enterprise security, compliance, and high-availability environments.

Additional Requirements

• Local candidates based in Arizona are strongly preferred.

• Must be available to work onsite at least 2 days per week in Phoenix, AZ.

• Must be available for a face-to-face interview at the client's Arizona office.

• W2 candidates only.

• Contract duration: 12 months.